The 1917 College Football All-America team consists of

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

players selected to the

College Football All-America Team The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best college football players in the United States at their respective positions. The original use of the term '' All-America'' seems to have been to the 1889 College Footbal ...

s selected by various organizations in 1917. The selections were affected by the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The Walter Camp Football Foundation lists no team in 1917. Camp posted an All-Service team in ''

Collier's Weekly } ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter F. Collier, Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened i ...

'', and other organizations posted All-American teams.

Walter Eckersall Walter Herbert "Eckie" Eckersall (June 17, 1883 – March 24, 1930) was an American college football player, official, and sportswriter for the ''Chicago Tribune''. He played for the Maroons of the University of Chicago, and was elected to the C ...

accidentally picked two players from Tech High School in an attempt to give credence to the first consensus national champion from the south,

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

Walker Carpenter Walker Glenn "Bill" "Big Six" Carpenter (June 3, 1893 – September 24, 1956) was an American football tackle for John Heisman's Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the Georgia Institute of Technology. He and teammate Everett Strupper were the ...

and

Everett Strupper George Everett Strupper Jr. (July 26, 1896 – February 4, 1950), known variously as "Ev" or "Strup" or "Stroop" was an American football player. He played halfback for Georgia Tech from 1915 to 1917. Strupper overcame deafness resulting from ...

were the first two players from the

Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion of the Southern United States. The term is used to describe the states which were most economically dependent on Plantation complexes in the Southern United States, plant ...

ever selected All-American.

All-Americans of 1917

Ends

* Charles Bolen, Ohio State (MS; WE-1; JV-2; PP-1; DJ) *

Heinie Miller Henry John "Heinie" Miller (January 1, 1893 – June 9, 1964) was an American football player and coach from 1920 to 1942. He played in The National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo All-Americans and the Milwaukee Badgers. Biography Miller ...

, Penn (JV-1, DJ, WE-2) *

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

, Rutgers (WC–2; MS; JV-2; PP-2) *

Clifford Carlson Henry Clifford "Doc" Carlson (July 4, 1894 – November 1, 1964) was an American basketball coach and football player. He is a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee as the men's college basketball coach of his alma mater, the University of ...

, Pittsburgh (WE-1; JV-1) *

Ernest H. Von Heimburg Ernest is a given name derived from the Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious", often shortened to Ernie. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian ...

, Navy (PP-1) * John Rasmussen, Nebraska; Grant (WC-1) *

William Jennings Gardner William Jennings Gardner (January 23, 1884 – June 15, 1965) was an American football player, coach, and law-enforcement agent. While working as a Prohibition agent in Chicago, Illinois, Gardner served with Eliot Ness's " Untouchables," a gr ...

, Carlisle; Custer (WC-1) * C. A. Coolidge, Harvard; Devens (PPS) * Fred Heyman, Washington & Jefferson; Sherman (PPS) * Ben Cubbage, Penn State; USAACS (NYT) * George B. L. Green, Dartmouth; New Port Naval Res (NYT) * Paul "Monk" Hager, West Virginia (PP-2) * Elmer "Bird" Carroll, Washington & Jefferson (WE-2) * Ellenberger, Cornell; Dix (WC-2) * Mitchell, Mare Isl.; Marines (WC-2) * Spike Dennie, Brown; Funston (WC-3) * Hunt, Coast Naval Res. (WC-3)

Tackles

George Hauser George Wesley Hauser (February 24, 1893 – November 8, 1968) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Colgate University from 1926 until 1927 and at the University of Minnesota from 1942 to 1944, ...

, Minnesota (WE-1; JV-1; PP-1) * Alfred Cobb, Syracuse (WE-2; JV-1; PP-1) *

, Georgia Tech (MS, DJ) *

Belford West David Belford West (May 7, 1896 – September 11, 1973) was an American football player. Best known for playing college football for the Colgate Raiders, he was twice a consensus All-America selection and was elected to the College Football Hal ...

, Colgate; Dix (College Football Hall of Fame) (WC-1, PPS) *

Pete Henry Wilbur Francis "Pete" Henry (October 31, 1897 – February 7, 1952) was an American football player, coach, and athletic administrator. He was a charter inductee into both the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and the Pro Football Hall of F ...

, Washington & Jefferson (MS) * John Beckett, Oregon; Mare Isl. (College Football Hall of Fame) (WC-1) *

Albert Benbrook Albert "Benny" Benbrook (August 24, 1887 – August 16, 1943) was an American football guard (American football), guard who played for the University of Michigan Michigan Wolverines football, Wolverines from 1908 to 1910. He was chosen by Walte ...

, Michigan; Ft. Sheridan (College Football Hall of Fame) (PPS) * Pike Johnson, Washington & Lee; USAACS (NYT) * Corbeau, Case; U. S. Marines Corps (NYT) * Ernest Hubka, Nebraska (JV-2; PP-2) * B. T. Williams, Oregon (JV-2; PP-2) * Joseph Strauss, Penn (DJ) * Joseph Murphy, Dartmouth (WE-2) * Moriarty, Coast Naval Res. (WC-2) *

Hugh Blacklock Hugh McNeal Blacklock (January 1, 1893January 9, 1954) was an American football player. He played college football at the tackle and fullback positions at Michigan Agricultural College from 1913 to 1916. He also played seven years in the Nat ...

, Mich. Ag; Great Lakes (WC-2) * Robertson, Dartmouth; Dodge (WC-3) * Zipper Lathrop, Notre Dame; Grant (WC-3) * Harvey McCord, Tech High School (WE-1)

Guards

Dale Seis Dale Hubert Sies (January 2, 1893 – October 17, 1954) was an American football player and coach. He was born on January 2, 1893, in Ames, Iowa and attended Davenport High School. He enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh,, Database Footb ...

, Pittsburgh (MS; PP-1, DJ) *

Eugene Neely Eugene Gentry "Guy" Neely (February 9, 1896 – December 2, 1949) was an American football player. Despite having only one arm, he played college football at the guard position for Dartmouth College and was a consensus first-team selection to th ...

, Dartmouth (JV-1) *

Jock Sutherland John Bain Sutherland (March 21, 1889 – April 11, 1948) was an American football player and coach. He coached college football at Lafayette College (1919–1923) and the University of Pittsburgh (1924–1938) and professional football for the ...

, Pittsburgh (JV-1) * Clinton Black, Yale; Newport Res. (WC-1, PPS, NYT) * Frank Culver, Michigan (JV-2; PP-1) *

Chris Schlachter Christopher Peter Schlachter (July 17, 1894 – date and year of death unclear) was an American football player. Schlachter was born in Brooklyn in 1894. He attended Bushwick High School. He next attended Syracuse University, where he played a ...

, Syracuse; Newport Res. (PPS, NYT) * C. J. Grabb, Brown (WE-1) *

H. M. Grey Hugh Morton "Wooly" Grey (July 4, 1896 – March 11, 1961) was an American college sports coach. He served as the head coach for Davidson College's football and men's basketball teams as well as the school's athletic director. Grey compiled overa ...

, Davidson (DJ) * Ernest Allmendinger, Michigan; Ft. Sheridan (WC-1) * Charles Lane, California (JV-2; PP-2) * Herbert Dieter, Pennsylvania (PP-2) * C. G. Higgins, Chicago (MS; WE-2) * John Ulrich, Northwestern (WE-2) * Allen Thurman, Virginia; Jackson (WC-2) *

Paul Withington Paul Withington (January 25, 1888 – April 2, 1966) was an American football player and coach. He was the head coach at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for a season in 1916 and at Columbia University for part of one season in 1924. In 190 ...

, Harvard; Funston (WC-2) * Snyder, 91st Division (WC-3) * Holder, 91st Division (WC-3) * Sid Sault, Tech High School (WE-1)

Centers

* Frank Rydzewski, Notre Dame (JV-1; PP-1) *

Russ Bailey Russell Brooks Bailey (October 17, 1897 – September 15, 1949) was an American professional football player who was a center. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Akron Pros of the APFA (later renamed National Football Leagu ...

, West Virginia (MS; WE-1; JV-2) * Pup Phillips, Georgia Tech (DJ) * John T. Callahan, Yale; Newport Res. (WC-1) *

Paul Des Jardien Paul Raymond "Shorty" Des Jardien (August 24, 1893 – March 7, 1956) was an American football, baseball and basketball player. He played for the University of Chicago where he was selected as the first-team All-American center in both 1913 ...

, Chicago; Ft. Sheridan (College Football Hall of Fame) (PPS) *

Lud Wray James R. Ludlow Wray (February 7, 1894 – July 24, 1967) was a professional American football player, coach, and co-founder, with college teammate Bert Bell, of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was the first coa ...

, Penn; U.S. Marine Corps (NYT) * Alex Wray, Pennsylvania (PP-2) * Oscar P. Lambert, Michigan (WE-2) * Hommand, Kas.; Funston (WC-2) * White, Yale; Jackson (WC-3)

Quarterbacks

Benny Boynton Benjamin Lee Boynton (December 6, 1898 – January 23, 1963), nicknamed "the Purple Streak", was an American professional football player during the early years of the National Football League (NFL). He was elected to the College Football Hall ...

, Williams (College Football Hall of Fame) (MS; JV-1) *

Bill Ingram William Austin Ingram (June 14, 1898 – June 2, 1943) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at The College of William & Mary (1922), Indiana University (1923–1925), the United States Naval A ...

, Navy (JV-2 b PP-2) * Ockie Anderson, Colgate; Dix (WC-2; PPS) *

Archie Weston Archie Bruce "Beak" Weston (June 9, 1895 – April 1981) was an American football player who was a quarterback for the University of Michigan in 1917 and a halfback in 1919. He was selected as a first-team All-American in 1917 by ''Chicago ...

, Michigan (WE-1) * Raymond "Razor" Watkins, Colgate; Mineola (WC-1) * Charles Thorne "Mike" Murphy, Yale; USAACS (NYT) * Albert Hill, Georgia Tech (JV-2) * Brennan, Fordham (WE-2) * Harry Costello, Georgetown; Custer (WC-3)

Halfbacks

Elmer Oliphant Elmer Quillen Oliphant (July 9, 1892 – July 3, 1975), nicknamed "Catchy''" or "''Ollie''", was an American football, basketball and track and field, track player and coach. He is one of the great scorers in college football history, credited wi ...

, Army (College Football Hall of Fame) (MS; JV-1; PP-1, DJ) *

, Georgia Tech (College Football Hall of Fame) (MS; JV-2; PP-1 b DJ b * Charley Barrett, Cornell; Newport Res. (WC-2, PPS, NYT) *

Joe Guyon Joseph Napoleon "Big Chief" Guyon (Anishinaabe: ''O-Gee-Chidah'', translated as "Big Brave"; November 26, 1892 – November 27, 1971) was an American Indian from the Ojibwa tribe (Chippewa) who was an American football and baseball player and c ...

, Georgia Tech (College and Pro Football Hall of Fame) (PP-2, DJ) *

Eddie Casey Edward Lawrence Casey (May 16, 1894 – July 26, 1966) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at Harvard University and was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1968. Casey was MVP of the 1920 Rose Bow ...

, Harvard; Boston Navy Yard (College Football Hall of Fame) (WC-1) *

Wayland Minot Wayland Manning Minot (October 23, 1889November 20, 1957) was an American football player. He played college football at Harvard University and was selected as a consensus All-American at the center position in 1909. Minot was married in 1913 ...

, Harvard; Devens (WC-1) * Bernard Gerrish, Dartmouth; Newport Res. (PPS) * Johnny Scott, Lafayette; U.S. Marine Corps (NYT) * "Scrubby" McCreight, Washington & Jefferson (PP-2) * Arthur Hoffman, Cornell (WE-2) * James J. Drummey, Tufts (WE-2) * Fritz Shiverick, Cornell; Grant (WC-2) * Edmund O'Boyle, Georgetown; Pelham (WC-3) * Blair, Md.; Upton (WC-3)

Fullbacks

Chic Harley Charles Wesley "Chic" Harley (September 15, 1895 – April 21, 1974) was an American football player and athlete, often credited with bringing Ohio State University's football program to national attention. Harley was Ohio State's first consens ...

, Ohio State (College Football Hall of Fame) (WE-1; JV-1; PP-1; DJ) * George "Tank" McLaren, Pittsburgh (College Football Hall of Fame) (MS; WE-1 B JV-1; PP-2) * Joseph Howard Berry, Jr., Pennsylvania (WE-1; JV-2; PP-1) *

Cedric C. Smith Cedric Crawford "Pat" Smith (March 12, 1895 – April 23, 1969) was an American football Fullback (gridiron football), fullback who played for the University of Michigan (1915–1916), the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, and the Buffalo All-A ...

, Michigan; Great Lakes (WC-1) *

Eddie Mahan Edward William Mahan (January 19, 1892 – July 22, 1975) was an American football player. While playing halfback for Harvard, Mahan was selected as a first-team All-American three consecutive years from 1913 to 1915. He was widely regarded as ...

, Harvard; U.S. Marine Corps (College Football Hall of Fame) (PPS) * Earl "Curley" Cramer, Hamline; USAACS (NYT) * Bob Koehler, Northwestern (WE-2) * Maxfield, Lafayette, Ft. Slocum (WC-2) * Thayer, Pa.; Meade (WC-3)

Key

NCAA recognized selectors for 1917 * WC = ''

'' All Service team as selected by

Walter Camp Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925) was an American college football player and coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage a ...

* JV =

Jack Veiock Eugene Ruppert "Jack" Veiock (February 3, 1888 – June 11, 1922), sometimes known as "J.R.", was an American sportswriter and editor. He was the sporting editor of the International News Service from 1916 to 1921. Veiock was born at Rochester, ...

of the International News Service * PP =

Paul Purman Paul R. Purman (April 19, 1886 – April 18, 1937) was an American sportswriter. Purman had a lengthy career in journalism, but he is best known for his work in the years from 1916 to 1918 when his sports column was syndicated in hundreds of news ...

, noted sports writer whose All-American team was syndicated in newspapers across the United States, of the Newspaper Editors Association''ESPN College Football Encyclopedia'', p. 1150 * PPS = Paul Purman's All Service selectionSpalding's Football Guide
/ref> * MS = Frank Menke Syndicate, by Frank G. Menke Other selectors * WE =

, of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' * DJ = Dick Jemison, of the ''

Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in Atlanta metropolitan area, metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Jo ...

''. * NYT = All Service eleven of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. Bold = Consensus All-American * 1 – First-team selection * 2 – Second-team selection * 3 – Third-team selection

References

{{College Football All-America Teams

All-America Team The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

College Football All-America Teams